PETALING JAYA, July 21 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have not ruled out the possibility of national Under-19 head coach Hassan Sazali Waras taking over as head coach of the national Under-23 side that was left vacant by Brad Maloney.
However, FAM secretary-general Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar said they would only make a decision after an assessment is carried out by the Technical Committee, National Team Committee and Harimau Malaya head coach Kim Pan Gon.
“Hassan has been targeted to continue being the coach for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Mongolia in September.
“I am not (saying) yes (Hassan Sazali will be appointed the Under-23 coach). Probably... big probability (only),” he told a media conference after the FAM Executive Committee meeting at Wisma FAM here today.
Previously, Australian Maloney, who handled the Under-23 squad, terminated his contract with FAM by mutual consent.
That led to Hassan Sazali, who led the team to victory in the recent Under-19 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship, being touted to fill the vacancy left by Maloney.
Elaborating, Mohd Saifuddin said a meeting would be held with Pan Gon soon to get the South Korean’s views regarding the appointment of the head coach and panel of coaches for the national Under-23 squad.
Mohd Saifuddin also said that the direction being taken in appointing the new Under-23 coach should follow the mould set by Pan Gon as the squad would be the back-up for the Harimau Malaya.
“Let’s say the national team train every morning and evening, then the Under-23 side should do the same as well. Because we (FAM) must sit with Pan Gon to get his views on who should handle the Under-23 side,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Saifuddin said the Harimau Malaya would compete in a Friendly Quadrangular Tournament in Thailand from September 22-25. — Bernama
